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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: charge · roll · hand · club · root · mine · face · board

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. roll — a list
  4. board — a committee
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. charge — in control
  7. mine — for digging
  8. roll — a cake
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. root — of a word
  11. charge — electricity
  12. hand — help
  13. root — the cause
  14. face — to confront
  15. root — of a plant
  16. club — for golf
  17. board — to get on
  18. face — part of the head
  19. club — a group
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. club — for dancing
  23. hand — in cards
  24. face — to point toward

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com